


too shy to say (but i hope you stay)

by kate_crumble



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017), The Holiday (2006)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Betty Cooper Needs a Hug, Christmas Romance, F/M, Fluff, Love at First Sight, Miscommunication, Morning After, Mutual Pining, One Night Stands, One Shot, Sexual Tension, Shy Betty Cooper, Smut, Strangers to Lovers, The Holiday AU, and Betty drooling over Jug, because he's ridiculously attractive, i tried to write something cute, there's snow, tipsy bughead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:29:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28083210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kate_crumble/pseuds/kate_crumble
Summary: Newly single Betty Cooper impulsively books an overdue holiday, desperate to get away from work and the stress of Hollywood. Before she knows it, she’s in an English cottage, alone on Christmas. Beginning to regret the house swap she draws up plans to leave, only to be interrupted by a tipsy dark haired stranger. All it takes is a lazy smirk to stretch across his face and Betty’s mind goes blank -- all plans of going home are quickly forgotten, instead replaced with olive skin, blue eyes and the name Jughead JonesorThe Holiday AU: A cute morning after in which Bughead partake in lots of awkward flirtingFor Riverdale Events - Home for the Holidale: Theme 1
Relationships: Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 16
Kudos: 86
Collections: 8th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees, Home for the HoliDale





	too shy to say (but i hope you stay)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Lovely People! This was originally meant to be a 500 word drabble and then I quickly got carried away and well I am now posting this oops.
> 
> I absolutely love The Holiday, Jude Law in this film was my sexual awakening, anyone else with me? 
> 
> I would like to thank my darling beta Lisa (moons2stars) <3 for editing and reading this a ridiculous number of times, she is an angel for dealing with my constant pestering and self-deprecation!! 
> 
> Kudos and comments are always lovely, I adore getting feedback, it still amazes me that people take the time out of their day to read my writing! 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this random christmassy one-night stand/morning after one shot, let me know if you want a part two!! It will most likely in Jug’s POV, we will see what is so *complicated* about his life ;)

Fiddling with the coffee machine frantically, Betty tries and fails to calm her racing heart. With a disgruntled huff she gives up on the unfamiliar buttons and instead distracts herself with the task of untangling her unruly morning curls. Even thousands of miles away the demanding standards of L.A life continue to eat away at her. 

Resting against the kitchen counter she focuses on the dull ache in her pelvis; a reminder of the ridiculously handsome stranger upstairs in her bed. _Scratch that._ Veronica’s ridiculously handsome step-brother of whom she failed to mention even existed prior to the now regrettable house swap. 

_God,_ what was she thinking? She has been in England for less than 24 hours and she’s already jumped into bed with a man she hardly knows. But with his deep cerulean eyes and charming- 

“Good morning.” A gentle voice interrupts her thoughts. _His voice._ Scrambling slightly, she turns giving Jughead a bashful smile, unable to control the blush surfacing along her cheeks. 

“Good morning.” She whispers in reply, busying herself with the coffee machine once more, definitely not noticing how his collared shirt stretches across his toned frame or how his hair looks adorably fluffy in the early hours. 

“I lost my contacts last night...somehow.” He confesses, entering the kitchen as he searches his jacket pocket. Betty hums absent-mindedly, trying to rid her thoughts of his olive skin against hers, his rough hands cupping the back of her neck as their mouths meld together perfectly. 

All of a sudden he pulls glasses out of his pocket and all she can think is _life truly is unfair._ He just got more attractive she muses, unable to stop staring at his bashful smile as his dark locks flop onto his forehead. 

“Much better.” He affirms, pushing the glasses up the bridge of his nose. All Betty can do is nod along. 

Amidst her haze of admiration, she hears Jughead offer to help with the infuriating coffee machine and before she knows it he’s in her space, his warmth overwhelming her all over again. 

Much to her embarrassment she watches as he holds up the plug, the charming smirk once again gracing his gorgeous face, this time accompanied by a teasing glint in his eye. Blushing furiously Betty dips her head, blonde hair falling in aid of hiding her now deep red cheeks. _He must find her pathetic,_ being so flustered after a tipsy one night stand. Given his seemingly calm demeanor and appealing exterior she decides he must do this sort of thing a lot. 

Flicking her eyes back up to his, she finds Jughead already staring at her, no doubt preparing to let her down gently. 

“So...Betty, I...I just really-” 

“Listen, Jug...you don’t have to worry about a thing here.” She interrupts, wanting to get the awkward conversation and inevitable embarrassment out of the way quickly. 

Hesitantly waiting for his response, she watches as his eyes widen before answering. 

“Okay?” 

“I mean it was great meeting you and everything…” Betty trails off as he watches her intensely, her hands becoming busy picking at the fraying back pocket of her jeans. 

“Uh definitely.” He agrees, giving her a kind smile, no doubt sensing her nervousness or wanting to simply be polite. _British people are known for being polite right?_

“And for the record your ex-boyfriend was extremely mistaken about you.” 

As he carries on, she closes her eyes, cursing her past self for being melodramatic enough to mention Archie last night. Thankfully her self-loathing is cut short with the ringing of Jughead’s cellphone. She quietly releases a breath of relief at not needing to rehash her lack of sexual prowess. 

Reaching for the phone she can’t help but catch the name flashing insistently upon the screen, _Josie._ Even though she’d been silently preparing herself for her thoughts to be confirmed, Betty still feels disappointment settle in the pit of her stomach. The butterflies slowly ceasing to a quiet flutter.

Betty knows she’s being silly, she’s booked flights home. Nothing was going to come of this. _Clearly the English cold weather is getting to her._

“It’s Jo-Josie...sorry I didn’t mean to look.” She stammers, handing him the phone quickly, her fingers curling into her palms at her rudeness. 

“I’ll call her back.” 

Silencing the buzz, Jughead bites his lip as he moves to toss the phone in his bag, giving Betty the chance to busy her hands with making the much needed coffee. 

As he shuffles around the tiny kitchen, she takes the opportunity to memorise the moles decorating his high cheekbones. She’s never been so enamored with a man before, the need to have him close; an unfamiliar feeling that settles in her chest. 

Snapping out of her daze, Betty shakes her head with how foolish she’s being, daydreaming about a man she will never see again. Just as she opens her mouth to offer him a coffee he beats her to it. 

“Look, I know you’re leaving and absolutely not looking at getting involved but just so you know things in my life are a little bit... _complicated_. And if you were staying I can promise you wouldn’t for one minute-”

Before he has time to finish his Betty interrupts him gently, the look of discomfort on his face too much to bear. 

“You _really_ don’t need to do this. I’m honestly a mess in this area myself and I mean, honestly, we hardly know each other.” 

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly say that.” He mutters with his all too familiar smirk, her blush returning in full force. 

“But I just...just want to assure you, you’re better off I-”

She finds his fumbling endearing, the way he reaches a hand up to scratch the back of his neck when he’s nervous. Betty’s surprised at his less than confident morning-after speech, but somehow this is better, the constant switching between smooth, sexy Jughead and adorable, fumbling Jughead - she can’t decide which she likes more. 

In a bid to make it apparent she’s okay with his lack of interest, she manages to spill her well kept secrets about her inability to fall in love, and if that doesn’t scare him off she doesn’t know what will. 

Much to her surprise he moves past her frankly odd behaviour with ease, giving her the title of _‘the most interesting girl he’s ever met’ (S_ ecretly she hopes that means he’ll remember her.)

Silence washes over them as she watches him shuffle his feet in anticipation of leaving. A smile graces her face as she remembers how he’d done the same nervous habit last night, albeit more clumsily in conjunction with the copious amounts of brandy. 

  
  


_8 hours earlier…_

_Veronica promised there were absolutely zero men in this small town. She obviously lied because standing before her is the most gorgeous man she’s ever seen. With dark tufts of hair coated in snow and a slight sway in his step, Betty’s not entirely sure if he’s real, her eyes flicking to the empty bottle of wine on the coffee table._

_“Would you mind if I sat, I feel like I might bump into you.” He asks bashfully, his rough tenor sending a shiver down her spine._ God she needs to get a hold of herself. 

_With the influence of the brandy in his system he lazily explains he’s Veronica’s big brother, whom she puts up for the night when he visits the local pub. But even amongst his explanation all her wine drunk brain can seem to focus on are his hands and how they would feel on her skin._

_Somehow they end up with more alcohol in their cups, the wine slowly loosening her body and tongue until she finds herself explaining why she’s in a strangers home,_ alone on Christmas _._

_“Bet you're glad you knocked on this door.” She mumbles behind her wine glass, blush rising as Jughead continues to stare at her unabashedly._

_“I am, actually.” Giving her a small smile before laying down a blanket on the couch in preparation of staying the night in the cold living room._

_Looking up at Jughead one last time Betty takes the opportunity to stare into his eyes, knowing he won’t be here when she wakes up. “Goodnight” she whispers, feeling silly for being so shy around him._

_“Goodnight.” He echoes before dipping his head down to gently press his lips to hers. The unexpected moment is over before she can even respond with pressure of her own._

_Raising her fingers to her mouth her breath hitches in surprise at the tingling taste of brandy and mint. Curious to know what the full weight of his mouth against hers elicits, Betty works up the courage to ask for more._

_“Would you...mind doing that again?” She asks with a giggle, stumbling slightly as she watches his eyebrows raise._

_With his slight nod she allows her eyes to flutter closed, chewing on her bottom lip in anticipation of tasting a man she has only known for an hour._

_Betty startles when his warm hands finally meet her skin, his palms sliding against her cheeks before encompassing the nape of neck, tilting her head up towards him. Instead of the expected feeling of his mouth on hers, she feels him press light kisses against her closed lids, dusting more along her flushed cheekbones before finally settling on her mouth, swallowing her gasp._

_She never expected kissing a stranger to feel this_ good. 

_Twisting her fingers in his shirt she allows him to take control, becoming light-headed as he swipes his tongue along her lower-lip asking for entrance which she gives eagerly. Before long they become a messy entanglement of tongue and teeth, Betty desperately trying to match him stroke for stroke as they descend into a sensual rhythm._

_Emboldened by the wine she dares to nip at his swollen bottom lip, eliciting a rough groan which snaps her out of the embrace._

_“You know...umm…given that I’m in a total stranger’s home, in a town I can’t even remember the name of and you’ve shown up, and you’re insanely good-looking... I’m thinking we should have sex.” She finishes rambling by biting at her lip, watching as Jughead’s eyebrows raise in surprise._

_“If you want?” Betty tags on quickly, hoping she hasn’t crossed a line in her semi-tipsy state._

_He barks out a laugh and her heart sinks to her stomach, oh no, what does she do now? Maybe running upstairs is the best option-_

_“Is that a trick question?” He simpers, reaching up to tuck a loose curl behind her ear._

_Shaking her head in response, he smiles before dipping his head to rejoin their lips once more, surprising her when he moves swiftly to her neck, nipping at her racing pulse, drawing noises from her that no one ever has before._

_Caught up in the feeling of his fingers smoothing over her waist and his lips sucking at her collarbone she finds her hands hanging limply at her sides, reminding her of how unprepared she truly is._

_“I...Juggie I feel like I should warn you, I’m not very good at this.” She admits quietly, prompting him to pull away from mouthing at her neck. A small smile graces her face when she notices his blown out pupils and heavy breathing._

_“This being?” He questions gently, eyebrows pulled together in confusion._

_“Uh, sex...my ex- he mentioned it a few times... and comments like that are quite hard to forget.”_

_Regretting the words as soon as they leave her mouth, she makes an attempt to backtrack but as his blue eyes continue to stare deeply into hers she feels herself becoming flustered once more._

_“If he was foolish enough to let someone like you go, then I seriously doubt he knew what he was talking about-”_

_Determined not to be overwhelmed by nervousness she swings her leg over his hips and joins their lips together once more, drinking him in. She explores his mouth easily, noting his lips had already been parted - due to her interrupting his words of pity in response to her babbling._

_Lost in their embrace she barely notices Jughead grabbing at her ass tightly before standing, walking slowly over to the staircase, her legs wrapped his hips. Instead of ascending the stairs he presses her against the stone wall, his warm hands finding their way beneath her pajama top. A pink flush spreads to her chest when his nimble fingers draw steady circles around her nipples, their centres aligning to hold her steady against the wall as he explores._

_The exploration continues throughout the night, his hands and mouth worshipping her body to ruin. After teasing her over the edge multiple times, he finally enters her, deliciously stretching her walls as he falls into a punishing rhythm._

_All she can seem to do is cling on, nails digging into his broad shoulders, her peaked nipples brushing against his chest as he dips his head to suck another mark upon her neck._

  
  
  


Lifting her eyes up from the floor, Betty registers the silence they’ve been caught in, both her and Jughead lost in their own thoughts. 

Although she doubts he’s been recounting all last night's details like she has, instead he’s probably deciding how best to bid her goodbye. 

“So I guess this is it then.” She smiles softly, trying to ease the growing tension in the room. 

“Yes I guess it is…” He hums in agreement, shrugging on his jacket in anticipation of the English snow. “And I’m sure you’ll be glad to know that you probably won’t be hearing from me because, even if you wanted to - which you clearly don’t, I have the classic male problem of no follow through.” 

Edging closer towards the door, he wraps a scarf around his neck, before continuing, “I never remember to call after a date...but since this wasn’t a date, I guess I’m off the hook.”

Betty can’t decide if he’s rambling out of nervousness or eagerness to leave, but she doesn’t have time to care when he looks like a winter wet dream. 

Lost in the idea of his dark locks decorated with snowy flecks, she hastily replies, “Exactly.”

“Betts...what if I wanted to call you?” He asks hesitantly, stepping forward into her space once more. Her eyes widen with his close proximity and words, hope fluttering in her chest at the thought of seeing him again. But just as quickly reality hits her full force, her smile dropping - her flight is today, not to mention they live oceans apart. 

Jughead must sense her inner turmoil, stepping back slightly with a hollow laugh. “Right sorry, apparently not the right thing to say _at all.”_

“Well if your flight’s cancelled or for some reason you change your mind. I’m having dinner with some friends at the pub tonight...and if not then well, _you’re lovely_.” He offers, the tips of his ears growing red. 

“So are you.” She whispers in return, only looking up in time to watch the cottage door close, Jughead disappearing into the morning fog. 


End file.
